The specific asteroid, formally called 2014 JO25, hasn't come this close to Earth in at least 400 years

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

A large asteroid — about 2,000-feet wide — is expected to speed safely by Earth on Wednesday, NBC News reported.

NASA said the space rock will not hit our planet, as it will be at a distance of 1.1 million miles. But that's still remarkably close by astronomical standards.

Approaches this close by an object this big occurs only about once a decade. This specific asteroid, formally called 2014 JO25, hasn't come this close to Earth in at least 400 years.

Though 2014 JO25 won't collide with Earth, the damage would be significant if it did. The blast would likely create an impact crator about 10 kilometers (more than six miles) wide, according to planetary scientist William F. Bottke.

Astronaut Brings the Solar System to Earth in 'Miniverse'

Former Commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield speaks with NBC on the importance of space exploration, what being an astronaut taught him about perspective on Earth and why Pluto was kept in the solar system line-up for new space documentary "Miniverse." In it, Hadfield, the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space, hosts astronomers and physicists on a road trip from the tip of Long Island, New York, to California's Santa Monica Pier in a scaled down model of the solar system transposed across the United States. The "Miniverse" documentary airs on new science and technology streaming service CuriosityStream.